Northern Medical Program

Welcome

Dr. Paul Winwood

Many thanks for your interest in the Northern Medical Program. My hope is that our website will provide you not only an overview of the outstanding learning and living environment that comes with studying medicine in beautiful Northern British Columbia, but a better understanding of the culture, values and principles of this program. Our mission is to improve healthcare in Northern British Columbia and other rural areas of Canada through the training of dedicated physicians and other professionals and innovations in practice.

Many committed Northern Medical Program staff, faculty, physician teachers and other healthcare professionals who are involved in the administration and delivery of medical education in the north have worked hard to ensure our student's learning experiences are of the highest standard, both from an academic and experiential perspective. We are committed to values of excellence, mutual respect, caring and integrity.

As one of three distributed medical education sites of UBC's Faculty of Medicine, we embrace their principles and commitments. Specifically, we recognized our global responsibilities in promoting the diversity of health care needs locally, nationally, and internationally and promote a dynamic and inquisitive environment. We challenge conventional wisdom, and we make innovative and significant contributions through teaching, scholarly activity, and service. We recognize the contribution of learners, faculty and staff in achieving our goals, promote diversity and equity and believe that teamwork and partnerships maximize benefits. We reach out pro-actively with partners to advance common goals and interests, and we foster intra-and inter-professional/disciplinary collaboration and collegiality.

Our focus is on training healthcare professionals who will meet the needs of under served rural communities and promote generalism. We are keen to admit students who have grown up in the North but welcome students from everywhere and all walks of life.

Since the start of our program in 2004, we have established a strong, successful program that not only delivers solid undergraduate medical education but has a solid research platform in the areas of basic science, social science and clinical research which our medical students are strongly encouraged to participate in. We have an excellent track record of success in the match for Residency programs with a very high proportion of our graduates entering the postgraduate training program of their choice. The commitments of the Northern Medical Program are now being realized as many of our graduates have returned to practice family medicine in our region and other rural areas. In June 2013, the first NMP graduates who entered specialty programs will have completed their training and we look forward to welcoming some of them back to the north.

We remain indebted to the numerous physicians, leaders, donors, healthcare providers, faculty, staff and members of our community whose support has made the Northern Medical Program a success.

So, welcome to the Northern Medical Program. Whether you are a prospective student or simply interested in ways in which medical education is influencing northern British Columbia, I am most pleased you are visiting our website and trust it will provide you the information you are seeking.